Strand handling device



Oct. 18, 1932. E. R. TROCHE 1,883,130

STRAND HANDLING DEVICE Filed Aug. 9, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z2 Z5 uvvmvfia E. R.7 ROCHE ATTORNEY Oct. 18, 1932. .E. R. TROCHE STRAND HANDLING DEVICE Fi led Aug. 9, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R Z Na E 0 Wm H E k I- 77/42; Q n G F 1 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATNT- FFEQE ERNEST R. TROCHE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO lVESTEBN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK STRAND HANDLING DEVICE Application filed August 9, 1930. Serial No. 42 4,2555.

This invention relates to strand handling devices and more particularly to devices for assembling and dissembling a plurality of strands.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for handling strand material which will be simple and sturdy in construction, and safe and eflicient in operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a device for separating a duplex rubber covered conductor into its component twin strands of rubber covered wire consists of a splitting head having an elongated'cylinder in which is transversely mounted a pair of abutting freely rotatable rollers. The duplex rubber covered conductor is passed anially through the cylinder-to the rollers, by which'it is divided, the respective separated strands passing the pair of rollers on the opposite sides thereof. The strands are then drawn through a braiding head to form a braided cord containing the two strands". In

order to insure that the wires will be separated evenly, the cylinder is rotatably mounted by means of suitable ball hearings in a relatively stationary annulus or rim base portion. During normal operation of the device the tension in the strands maintains the cylinder and base assembly in a recessed stop member, which is mounted on an arm pivotally secured to the framework of the braiding machine and provided with suitable contact means for controlling the operation of the braiding machine if the duplex conductor jams in the splitting head.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description, and drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of one embodiment of the invention as mounted in a braiding machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the splitter and control mechanism, taken from the rear of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentaryv section taken 011 the line 44 of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 lies fragmentarysection taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;;

F 6 is a section taken onthe line 66 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar parts are indicated by identical reference numerals, a braiding machine, generally designated by the numeral 10, is mainly of the conventional type'and comprises a framework 11 having at either side uprights 1212, supporting a platform 14; and separated substantiallymedially by a vertical wall 15. A

reel 16 for furnishing a supply of a. double wire rubber covered conductor strand 17 to be split is rotatably mounted in the upright 12 in any suitable manner, and a conventional braiding head 18 or other suitable device for assembling plurality of strands is mounted on the platform 14, the assembled strands being drawn therefrom-by means of a capstan 19, pivot-ally mounted upon an arm 20 also secured to the platform 1 1. A take-up reel 22, together with the capstan 19, is operated from a main shaft 23 connected to any suitable source of power (not shown) which shaft is rotatably ournalled in a supporting bracket 24 suspended from the platform 1 1 and in the left hand upright 12, as shown in Fig. 1. A spool 26 is keyed to the main shaft 23 for the purpose of driving a shaft 27 upon which the talre-up reel is secured, said shaft being rotatably journallcd at one end in the upright 12 and at the other in a bracket 28 secured in any suitable manner to the wall 15. A spool 30 is secured to the shaft 27 in line with the spool 26 and is driven therefrom by means of a belt 31. T i capstan 19 is provided with an internal ring gear 32 which is engaged by a spur gear 3% secured to a rotatable shaft 35, the shaft 35 being driven through suitable bevel gears 36. One of the bevel gears 36 is secured to an auxiliary shaft 38 which is driven through suitable bevel gears 39 from the main shaft 23. From the foregoing it will be observed that the braiding head 18, capstan19 and take-up reel 22 are driven from the main shaft 23 and their respective rates of rotation may be correlated as desired by varying the ratios of the described gears and spools.

In the braiding of rubber covered wire to assemble conductor cords containing two insulated wires, it has been found desirable for certain purposes to include separate strands which are individually insulated. It has also been determined in some instances that a substantial economy is eifected in the insulating of conductors by passing two conductors simultaneously through an extruding head and covering them with acommon coating of insulation which is integral, the insulation between the conductors being given a reduced thickness, as shown in Fig. 6. In order to separate the two conductors evenly and without deleteriously affecting the insulation of either, a splitting head 42, mounted upon a bracket 43 secured to the wall 15, is provided. The splitter comprises (Figs. 2-5) a relatively stationary annulus or rim base portion 44 and a cylinder or barrel 46 coaxially aligned with the base portion. The base por tion 44 is provided with a flange 47 and the. cylinder 46 is provided with an annular projection 48 suitably secured thereto as by screws 5050. An external peripheral recess 51 is formed in the projection, and in order to insure free rotation of the cylinder with respect to the base portion, suitable friction reducing means such as ball bearings 52 are provided between the base portion 44 and the projection 48.

Adjacent the base portion, the cylinder is provided on diametrically opposite sides thereof, with a pair of adjacent apertures 5454 in which are supported a pair of parallel abutting round bars or elongated rollers 5555. The rollers extend transversely of the cylinder and are secured in the apertures by means of fixed plates 5656. At theopposite end from the base, the cylinder is provided with an internal rim 58 which acts as a guide for the duplex strand 17 prior to its reaching the splitting rollers 55.

A cylindrical stop member 59 is carried upon an arm 60 pivotally mounted at 61 to the bracket 43 and is provided with a central aperture 62 and a flaring recess 63, the central aperture and recess being concentric with the base 44 and cylinder 46. Between the stop member and the bracket 43 the arm 60 is provided with a depending tongue 64 which is suitably apertured to receive a tension spring 65, the opposite end of which is secured in an adjustable tie bolt 67 secured to the bracket 43. Above the arm 60 an aperture 68 is formed in the bracket through which aperture extends a horizontally movable contact pin 69 forming part of a solenoid brake 70 of any suitable type for cons trolling the rotation of the main shaft 23. A lug 71 is secured to the upper surface of the arm 60 adjacent to the contact member 69 in such manner that the rotation of the arm 60 about the pivot 61 against the tension of the spring 65 will rotate the lug 71 into contact with the member 69 actuating the solenoid brake to stop the operation of the brand ng head, capstan and take-up devices. A guide pulley (0 1s mounted upon the wall 15 by means of a pivoted housing 74 for the purpose of centering the strand with respect to the axis of the cylinder 46 as the strand travels across the face of the supply reel.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the splitting head including the barrel and base is readily detachable from the recessed stop member 59. In operation, the duplex wire 17 is drawn from the supply reel 16 and passed over the centering pulley 73 where the strand is split for a small portion of its length into two separate insulated wires. The strand is then introduced through the guide 58 of the barrel and axially through the barrel until the rollers 5,5-55 are reached. The separated strands are then passed oneither side of the rollers, contactwitli the outer surfaces thereof. The separated strands are then drawn through the base 44', through the recess and central aperture of the stop member and then passed upwardly through the braiding head 18. After the split between the separate wires has thus been started the splitting head is drawn upwardly to rest in the flaring recess 63 of the stop member and a continued upward pull upon the strands causes the duplex strand 17 to be'splitrfor an additional length suflicient to permit the separated wires thereof to be'drawn upwardly through the braiding head, where they are braided to form a unitary conductor cord comprising two distinct and individually insulated wires. The braided cord 21 is then looped a desired number of times around the capstan 19 from which it is carried over the distributor 40 and started upon the take-up reel 22. The main shaft 23 is then driven under power, thus rotating the capstan 19 which draws the strand upwardly with sufiicient tension to maintain the splitting head in the flaring recess of the stop member, drawing the strand past the rotating splitting rollers 5555 yet with insufficient tension to cause the stop member and arm 60 to be lifted upwardly against the tension of the spring 65. This operation may be continuous until all of the duplex conductor has been drawn through the splitting head whereupon a new supply reel 16 is inserted in the machine and the end thereof started through the splitting head in the manner described above. 7

Continuous successful operation of the splitting head described is had due to the fact that the described rollers are freely rotatable as they are moved in opposite directions by the separate strands. The mounting of the rollers so that their surfaces are contiguous assists in their relative rotation at one point and thereby insures little or no frictional contact between the rollers and the moving strands.

Byv rotatably mounting the barrel of the splitting head in the base portion thereof, which base portion becomes, during the splitting operation, snugly engaged in the flared recess of the stop member, the barrel is permitted to rotate whenever the moving strand rotates axially, thus insuring that the parallel rollers are always in a position to accurately and evenly divide the insulation for the sepa rate strands. along the intermediate reduced portion visible in Fig. 6. When, upon occasion, the texture of the strand varies or any other condition arises to cause the strand to become jammed on the rollers or otherwise in passing through the splitting head, the tension imposed in the cord by the capstan 19 is sufficient to raise the splitting head and supporting arm 60 about the pivot 61 and against th tension of the spring 65. This causes the lug 71 to press the Contact member 69, thus actuating the solenoid brake to slow or stop the rotation of the main shaft 23, thereby insuring the satisfactory and safe operation of the machine regardless of the condition of the insulation or the splitting head.

What is claimed is:

1. In a strand splitting device, a support, and freely rotatable rollers carried by said support adapted to separate individual strands, together with their coverings, from a common covering of a character which can be split by said rollers upon a plurality of strands.

2. In a strand splitting device, a freely rotatable support, and freely rotatable rollers carried by said support adapted to separate individual strands, together with their coverings, from a common covering adapted to be separated by said rollers upon a plurality of strands.

3. In a strand splitting device, a freely r0- tatable support, and freely rotatable rollers 1 L extending transversely of said support adapted to separate individual strands, together with their coverings, from a common covering adapted to be separated by said rollers upon a plurality of strands.

4. A strand splitter comprising an annular base, a barrel rotatably mounted therein, friction reducing bearings between the bar rel and the base and splitting means extending transversely of the barrel comprising a pair of freely rotatable rollers.

5. A strand splitter comprising a stationary base, a barrel rotatably mounted in the base, and means for splitting the strand comprising a pair of abutting freely rotatable rollers mounted transversely of the barrel.

6. A strand splitter comprising an annular base, a rotatable barrel mounted in the base and having an axial aperture coinciding with the aperture of the base for accommodating the strand, and means for splitting the strand comprising a pair of freely rotatable rollers mounted in the barrel and extending diametrically across the aperture of the barrel.

7. In a strand handling machine, a rotatable barrel mounted thereon, and means rotatably mounted in the barrel for splitting the strand.

8. In a strand handling machine, a supply reel for the strand, a rotatable barrel, strand splitting means mounted within said barrel and means for pulling the strand from the supply reel longitudinally through said barrel and upon the splitting means.

9. In a strand handling machine, a supporting frame, a bracket secured thereto, an arm pivotally mounted on the bracket, a recessed stop member on the arm, a strand splitter receivable in the stop member, means for drawing a strand through the splitter to maintain the splitter in the stop member, means for maintaining the arm in a predetermined position, a brake for the strand dra-w ing mechanism and a contact member on the arm for controlling the brake when the arm is moved from its predetermined position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 29th day of July, A. D. 1930.

ERNEST R. TROCHE. 

